THE 20th anniversary of the UK’s worst rail disaster of the 21st century will be marked this Sunday in a North Yorkshire village and in nearby Selby Abbey.

Ten people were killed and another 86 injured in the crash, which happened at Great Heck, south of Selby, on Wednesday, February 28, 2001.

The tragedy began when a Land Rover towing a Renault Savanna on a trailer came off the M62 and landed on the East Coast Mainline and was struck by a GNER passenger train heading for London from York.

The train’s cab was derailed and the train was then struck by an oncoming freight train carrying coal. The coal train driver, the passenger train driver and eight passengers were killed, with many other passengers severely injured. The Land Rover driver was later jailed for five years.

Now acts of remembrance are to be staged at a memorial garden near the line in Great Heck at 10am and at the abbey at 2pm, which will be live streamed because of coronavirus restrictions.

Wreaths will be laid in the garden and there will be readings, which will pause as an LNER passenger train passes and sounds its horn as a tribute.

The memorial service at the Abbey, led by Canon John Weetman, Vicar of Selby Abbey, and the Reverend Peter Hibbs, will feature commemorative candles being lit for each of the 10 people who lost their lives.

To watch the online memorial ceremony at Great Heck, people will need to register in advance by going to http://greatheckmemorial.eventbrite.co.uk/?s=128894697.

Any questions should be emailed to greatheckanniversary@lner.co.uk.

To watch the service at the abbey, people do not need to register but should go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUAxkqyx9ug&feature=youtu.be, or Google search for ‘Youtube Selby Abbey Great Heck.